Absolutism?In your notebooks, write your own definition of absolutism. What does this word mean to you?

• Who is in the painting?

• What is in the background?

• What message does this portrait convey?

• What is the meaning?

Yertle the Turtle

Absolute Monarchs

• Unlimited power• Controlled all

aspects of society• Divine Right of Kings– Only answered to

god, not his/her subject

Absolute vs. Enlightened Rulers

• An enlightened despot - considered reforms in order to create more efficient societies, but not at the expense of their own power.

• Absolutism and the Social Contract Theory– Argued about the legitimate source of political

power centered on divine right– Which enlightened thinker’s ideas/beliefs does this

theory conflict with?

Absolute Monarch = King James I

• King of both England and Scotland!

• A Letter to Parliament (1609)– How does King James I

defend his right as king?– What 3 things does he

warn parliament to avoid in the future?

Dear King James I!• Write a response to King James I’s letter to

parliament from the perspective of one of the 6 enlightened thinkers.

– Think of what he/she would think about this letter and how they would react to it.

Absolute or Enlightened?

You be the judge!Vote which 18th Century monarchs you think were either absolute or enlightened rulers.

Peter the Great - Russia

Catherine the Great - Russia

King Phillip - Spain

Joseph II - Austria

Frederick the Great - Prussia

King Frederick III - Norway

And here are the results.

The Good…

• Catherine the Great – Russia• Frederick the Great – Prussia• Joseph II - Austria

The Bad…

• King Phillip – Spain• Peter the Great – Russia• King Frederick III – Norway• King Louis XIV - France

The Ugly…

• How does the idea behind an absolute monarch conflict with the ideas of the enlightened thinkers?

• Choose one of the ideas of the philosophes to examine this question.